Scientists Discover Camouflaged Dinosaur

As scientists study God’s creation, they never cease to be surprised by what they find. The newest surprise comes from a well-preserved fossil of a Labrador-sized dinosaur, the Psittacosaurus. Detailed examination of this fossil reveals that this dinosaur “dressed in camouflage.”

This dinosaur was buried with skin and even pigments intact. This means it had to be buried extremely rapidly before it had a chance to decay. Of course, the conditions of the global Flood of Noah’s day were perfect for rapidly burying organisms. As the floodwaters washed over the continents, miles of sediment were ripped up and re-deposited in layers, trapping and burying organisms. This explains how we can find fossils with the soft parts still intact. It doesn’t take millions of years to make a fossil!

Now, this dinosaur is also interesting because of what the preserved skin pigments show. Researchers have found the first evidence of a dinosaur exhibiting a type of camouflage known as countershading. Countershading is common among many different kinds of animals (such as anoles, dolphins, and squirrels), and apparently some dinosaurs had these colorizations too. Animals with countershading are darker on top and lighter on the bottom to hide them and make them appear flatter in the sunlight. This is how Psittacosaurus would’ve looked. Researchers have determined, through observing the color patterns, that this creature was best equipped to live in a forest environment.

The Creator perfectly designed this little dinosaur with camouflage to protect it from predators in a fallen world. When scientists make exciting new discoveries like this, our response should be to praise the One who created everything with such detail and complexity.

Our Creation Museum near Cincinnati has many intriguing dinosaur exhibits (e.g., a world-class allosaur skeleton) and puts them in the context of Bible history, not evolution. See www.CreationMuseum.org to plan your trip.